The Two of Us
by xAppleDownx
Summary: A five-part event. This story is set after the series' finale and bridges the gap between then and now. Follow Luke and Lorelai as they do their best to reconnect and get back to the way they were. There are ups and downs but mostly sweet moments.
1. Two of Us Riding Nowhere

_This story has been a year in the making. If not more. I'm not sure what took me so long. But it is my first GG story in 8-9 years so it's a bit strange to be back. But it feels good._

 _Here you will find five glimpses of Luke and Lorelai's life post-series finale. How do you go back from what they went through? It serves to bridge the gap between the series' storyline and what has been hinted at for the rivival._

* * *

 **TWO OF US**

 **Chapter One:** _ **Two of Us Riding Nowhere**_

* * *

The usual hustle and bustle of the breakfast crowd seemed to be almost non-existent. Only a few of the regulars had managed to drag themselves out of bed at their regular hour and made their way down to the diner for a hearty meal. As if they hadn't enough to eat the previous evening!

Luke routinely and expertly executed the few orders that were placed within minutes, which left him with a few minutes of contemplative silence after each order was delivered at the right table. For the time being Kirk was half-asleep by a plate of hashbrowns and so far he had only managed to drop a dollop of ketchup onto the plate and stirred on potato into the mix. At another table Patty was mindlessly stirring a cup of coffee whilst staring blankly into the distance. It was safe to say the Bon Voyage party thrown for Rory the night before had taken its toll on the good people of Starts Hollow.

Thankfully. Or so thought Luke, the diner owner who had been without sleep for almost two nights in a row. He had never been much of a sleeper, which was just as well as he had to get up early most days anyway in order to receive deliveries and cater to the wishes of the early risers. Today, though, he could have done with a bit more sleep. After days spent planning Rory's spontaneous goodbye party, then attempting to salvage said party by sewing together anything waterproof to cover the town square and finally (finally!) kissing one Lorelai Gilmore again, Luke Danes was good and thoroughly exhausted.

With a ringing as shrill as an alarm clock the diner phone suddenly chimed annoyingly, waking Luke from his stupor. It seemed to have a similar effect on his few customers. Surprised by the noise Kirk almost dropped his face into the ketchup covered plate of hashbrowns and Patty dropped her spoon on the floor with a loud clatter.

Only stupefied for a brief moment, Luke quickly grabbed the phone and disappeared as far into the kitchen as the chord would allow.

''lo?' he mumbled gruffly.

'We kissed, late night. You and me, we kissed, and we haven't done that for almost a year so it has to mean something, right? I mean, I don't normally go kissing people like that,' a voice carried on at the other end of the receiver.

'Lorelai?'

'Of course, who else? Or were you expecting a call from Jennifer Aniston? I believe she's available.' Lorelai quipped.

'Huh?'

'You know, Rachel _?_ Well, not your Rachel obviously but Ross' Rachel- _Rachel_.'

'Yeah, yeah. So you called to talk about some actress?' His mind finally seemed to be coming around and he was slowly grasping whom he was talking to.

'No, I…' she trailed off and became suddenly unusually silent.

'You okay?' His voice filled with concern at the sound of her silence. You could say many things about Lorelai Gilmore but one of them was not that she was a silent sort of person. Pretty much the opposite if he was to be entirely truthful. So, naturally, he worried – like he always had and always would when it came to her.

Exactly where they stood now he had no idea. The past year had caused them to inflict what he had, until recently, believed irreparable damage to their relationship. As a passive bystander he had watched her marry another man (so shortly after their own failed engagement), watched her move in with said man (in the house they had restored for _them_ ) and walk hand in hand through town with the same man (through _his_ town, _their_ town, thank you very much!). And yet there he had been on the sidelines, forever holding a torch of vague hope for the woman he would eternally love however much pain she inflicted on him (and vice versa).

But suddenly her marriage had crumpled and he couldn't help but rekindle the torch that had almost burnt out. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope still. Eventually things slowly reversed themselves to what they had been. He wore the blue cap she had gifted him with years ago instead of the black thing that had been nothing but a crappy replacement. And she began to frequent the diner again.

After an awkward maze meeting, a loud attempt at car shopping and drunken serenading (on her part of course), he had suddenly found himself pressed against her, lips molding together. And here she was calling him, ranting and he was much too slow in the uptake.

'Lorelai?' he tried as the line remained silent.

He heard trembling breaths then a slight sob and finally a whimper.

'No', she then managed in a tearful voice. 'I just dropped my daughter off at the airport and I have no idea how long it'll be before I see her again. It's like that scene in _Stepmom_ where the daughter realizes that Susan Sarandon has cancer and she may not live much longer. Except I haven't got cancer – and neither does Rory, so it's really not the same at all. I cried watching that film, though. Man, life sucks,' she ranted.

At the word _no_ it was like something inside him snapped. Lorelai, _his Lorelai_ , was not okay and that was not okay. Something had to be done and it had to be done fast.

'Go home, I'll be right over.'

'Luke…'

'No, nope. No protests. Go home and I'll be right there, okay?'

''Kay,' she replied weakly, having seemingly regained a bit of control over her voice.

* * *

After preparing a quick emergency care package containing coffee, muffins and bagels, Luke hurried towards the exit of his establishment, only pausing to toss the keys down on Kirk's table.

'You're in charge. Eat up, kick people out, and then close up. We're closed for the rest of the day. And if there are money missing I know where to find you.'

And then Luke was out the door, rushing towards the Crap Shack.

To his relief the old jeep was already parked in front of the house. He pulled up behind it, stepped out and soon trot the once familiar path from the driveway up to the front door. He did his best to repress various memories and instead made headway for the porch where he knocked gently on the door.

Soon he heard shuffling on the other side as tired feet made their way to the door, which swung open to reveal a broken woman.

He had no choice. It just happened. Arms spread eagle-wide he allowed Lorelai to step into the comfort of his arms as the tears began to trickle down her face again. He didn't speak, there was no need to, he just held her and let that be enough comfort for the time being.

Soon (to soon maybe?) Lorelai pulled back and starred at him for a quick second. Then, surprisingly, she let out a faint laugh and pointed at the flannel shirt of the day.

'I thought I smelled tomato!' Luke looked down. There, right above a teary water stain with smudged mascara, was a large ketchup stain.

'Uh, right. Sorry 'bout that.' Lorelai just continued laughing and hiccoughing almost hysterically. Women. You thought you understood them, knew how to comfort them and suddenly a ketchup stain is the funniest thing in the world.

As she continued to laugh Luke just remained there, food and coffee still in hand. And as soon as it had begun, Lorelai's spontaneous laughter died.

'Is that coffee?' she pointed at the take-away cup in his hand. Luke nodded.

'For me?' she pointed at herself this time and he just nodded again.

'Gimme!'

* * *

It wasn't long before they had taken up residence in her living room, Lorelai happily munching away at the various goods he had brought and gulping down the coffee. Luke, meanwhile, sat awkwardly perched at the edge of a chair, slowly surveying the once familiar room. As much as it looked the same as it always had, some major changes had been made in his time away. A dresser was placed differently, the couch seemed to be facing in a slightly different direction and, most noticeably, there was a giant flat screen TV mounted to the wall. This had to be the most obvious sign of another man having lived here, even if it was only for a while.

'Okay, I'm done.' Lorelai's voice woke him from his reverie and Luke immediately turned his attention to her. It was strange how, after almost a year apart, he was still so accustomed to being entirely attuned to her every movement.

She held out the paper cup to him. 'You don't happen to have any more of this magic potion somewhere, do you?'

'Sorry.'

'Sorry? Really? You're saying _sorry?_ '

'Uh…'

'Luke,' she interrupted him, sounding almost stern. The severity of her tone forced him to stop averting his eyes and finally look at her, _really_ look for the first time in a good while. In many ways she looked the same, but, like the room they were currently in had changed in little ways, so had she. Her hair was longer than when they had parted ways on that painful night, and her face looked just a little bit older and a little more harried. Not that it made her look any less beautiful in his eyes.

'Thank you for this. It was just what I needed. You're like my own personal fairy godmother, except you're a man. So… anyway, thanks ' she smiled at him and, like clockwork, he felt his own lips pull up in a gentle smile.

'You're welcome.'

In spite of her smile she still looked tired and heart-broken.

'You should get some rest,' he told her gently and instead of the protest he had expected, she simply nodded in agreement. As if that settled it, Luke shrugged and stood to leave.

'I should probably get back. I left Kirk in charge.'

'Do you have to?' She hesitated, regarding his face carefully.

'Or I could, you know,' he began – 'Or you could, you know,' she began.

'Stay,' the said in unison and then smiled.

'I guess I'll be having my morning coffee at Kirk's from now on?'

'Probably'.

Some minutes later Luke was seriously contemplating doing a runner. He stood in the doorway of the bedroom and he hadn't been able to move for the past few minutes. This had to be a bad idea, entering her bedroom already. Too many memories and he certainly couldn't seem to escape the ever-present ghost of a certain man. It wasn't that the bedroom looked remarkably different, it just _seemed_ different.

This room was something _they_ , himself and Lorelai, had remodeled thinking this was where they were going to spend the rest of their lives – together. Then bad things had happened and yet here he was again.

The door to the bathroom opened and revealed a much fresher looking Lorelai, now clad in comfortable PJs. He couldn't help a smile from creeping onto his face as he saw the checkered pattern of the shirt. As much as she had always complained about his apparent complete lack of fashion, she had always had a thing for sleeping in his flannel shirts. And never once had he complained.

'Are you okay?' Having caught sight of him still in the doorway, she gave him a puzzled look.

'Fine, yeah'. And he stepped over the dreaded threshold.

'You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I know it's…'

'I _want_ to,' he cut her off and in a few strides he was by her side, determined not to make this into anything it potentially wasn't.

'You sure? Because I-'

'Lorelai.' At the sound of her name she immediately shut up and forced her eyes to meet his. Apparently she found enough certainty in his gaze to keep quiet.

'I want to stay, if that's what you want me to,' she nodded her consent and he continued: 'We need to talk, we both know that, but right now that doesn't matter. Rory's gone and that hurts like hell, I know, but you're not alone. I'm here.'

'Thank you, Luke. _Really_.'

'Anytime'. And he meant it. Only with a hint of awkwardness at the back of his mind did he reach out and grasped her hand before leading her to the bed. After kicking his boots of he climbed on and settled against the headboard with Lorelai safely tucked against his side. He couldn't help but think of how right this was. There would be plenty of time to talk later but right in that moment they would enjoy the sound of silence and the company of one another. It would be all right eventually, he was sure of it.

* * *

What must have been hours later, Luke was finally able to pry his eyes open. It took a few moments to come to grasps with where he was and especially whom he was with. Lorelai was pressed against his side with her head buried in the pillows, wild, sleepy hair fanning out about her sleeping face.

Luke felt somewhat refreshed although his neck was killing him. That's what you get for sleeping while sitting. Go figure.

A loud rattling from downstairs woke him from his reverie. It sounded like someone was trying to break in albeit not very elegantly. Doing his best to avoid waking Lorelai, he gently climbed off the bed and made his way downstairs, to his best ability avoiding the many creaking floorboards.

The rattling at the front door continued – even more intently than before.

'Coming,' he heard himself mutter annoyed and the rattling immediately stopped. Before he could think his actions through Luke ripped the front door open, breathing a sigh of relief when it didn't come off its hinges, only to come face to face with Sookie.

'Luke!' The surprise at seeing him at her best friend's house was evident.

'Hi Sookie,' he managed meekly.

'What are you- No wait, don't answer that. Oh my God. Oh my God. _Oh my God!'_ The chef was slowly losing her composure.

'Sookie,' Luke tried warningly and in a low voice but it was far too late.

'You're here. You're here at Lorelai's house! Lorelai. You. You and Lorelai. Does this mean- I knew you were warming up to each other…' she rambled on as she processed the information she was confronted with:' and the song! The song! Who can refuse a good ol' serenade, huh? Certainly not you, you softie. And the party! Oh my God. You and Lorelai!'

'Sookie!' Getting agitated by the minute Luke reached out and abruptly pulled the chef inside, effectively shutting themselves away from the ever prying eyes if the townsfolk of Stars Hollow.

'You and Lorelai!' Sookie quipped once more and in the hopes of shutting her up, which resulted in Sookie emitting a loud squeak. Not seeing any other choice, Luke dragged her off into the kitchen.

'Shh! Lorelai's asleep, needs rest.'

'Oh she does, does she?' Sookie winked.

With a sigh Luke just shook his head. 'Nothing like that. She just dropped Rory off at the airport and seemed to have some sort of breakdown. She ranted about something about Susan Sarandon getting cancer. Or something.'

'No! I love Susan Sarandon, she can't have cancer. _Get away from her you fuckin' asshole or I'm gonna splatter you ugly face all over this nice car!'_ Sookie rambled.

'I don't think-'

' _You finally got laid properly. I'm so proud.'_ Sookie kept quoting, now getting slightly teary eyed.

'Hormones?' Luke asked.

'Yep. Sorry. Lorelai was talking about _Stepmom_ , wasn't she.' He nodded in response.

Sookie wiped a tear away absentmindedly. Then she gave Luke a warm, adoring smile.

'And you came over to let her know she wasn't alone. That's something Old Luke would do. Or maybe New Luke. Are you New Luke now?'

'Should I understand what you're talking about?'

'Hormones,' Sookie explained as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. To emphasize her meaning, she gently rubbed her belly. And once again Luke was left wondering how much he really understood about women. Not that much it would seem.

Placing a Tupperware container on the kitchen counter, Sookie elaborated. 'I brought comfort food. Will you make sure she gets it?'

'Of course'

'And a hug – you should give her a hug. Ooh, and maybe a kiss?'

Luke shot her a warning glance, trying to look stern.

'That was too far, wasn't it?' To this statement Luke could do nothing but nod.

'Okay, I get it. Just a hug. And the food, don't forget to give her food. And a kiss!'

'Sookie!'

'Just a peck! On the cheek! Or the lips, if you want. You decide!' and with that Sookie rushed to the front door as quickly as her advanced pregnancy would allow her to.

Luke sighed as he watched her go, shaking her head. The container did indeed contain comfort food as promised, although he wasn't entirely sure Lorelai would consider the garden salad tossed in there as particularly comforting. Heck, she frowned at a tomato in a burger and preferred potatoes that were soaked in oil to fresh, new potatoes. Crazy lady.

* * *

Besides the salad Sookie had thrown in a lasagna and some greasy looking garlic bread, apparently extra cheesy. Just the way Lorelai liked it. As if on autopilot Luke navigated the kitchen he had become familiar with over the course of many years. In a few minutes the table was set, salad included, and the lasagna was bubbling happily away in the oven make-shift tumble dryer.

He couldn't help but contemplate Sookie's words. A kiss would be nice for sure but at the same time Luke was painfully aware of the painful ramifications it could have if either of them pushed the other too far. How on earth had things become so messed up?

Shuffling feet approaching broke his stream of thoughts and he turned to see a bleary-eyes but smiling Lorelai Gilmore approach.

'I go to sleep and wake up in Heaven. You're a saint. Saint Luke. Sounds alright, doesn't it?' He smiled warmly at her and felt his smile widen when she returned the gesture.

'Something smells amazing!'

'That would be Sookie's doing. She came by a minute ago to see how you were holding up. And to feed an army apparently.'

'Man, I'm one lucky girl,' as if to emphasize her statement she sniffed deeply before exhaling contentedly.

'You're still here.' It wasn't a question just an endearing statement.

'Wouldn't want to be anywhere else.' It was reflex, not something he planned, but he reached out and pulled her to him. Without thinking much about it he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. At least that's what he had intended but Lorelai instinctively turned her face so their lips met briefly but sweetly.

'I like you in my kitchen. Will you be me own personal Gordon Ramsay? Without the swearing,' she asked, breathing deeply. 'Well, you can curse a bit.'

'How generous of you. Now get your butt over here and eat up.' Grinning, Lorelai obeyed and sashayed over to the dining table.

'Dirty!'

He grinned and placed the lasagna in the middle of the table. Then he sat down next to her and reached for the salad, internally thanking Sookie.

* * *

 _Alright, that was it for the first chapter. I will post the second tomorrow. I apologise for any typos.  
_


	2. You and Me, Sunday Driving, Not Arriving

_AN:  
And here we go with the second chapter. This one takes place a short time after chapter one and follows Luke and Lorelai as they embark upon a new adventure: their third first date. Or second back-together-with-Luke-date if you will.  
_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **THE TWO OF US  
**

 **Chapter Two: You and Me, Sunday Driving, Not Arriving**

Nervously Lorelai toyed with the flamboyant ring she had chosen to stick on her finger that particular day. It was perhaps a bit too big but it had been humid the day she bought it so her finger had been swollen. Obviously.

At the time of purchasing the ring she had desperately needed something to put on her ring finger, a finger that had had some sort of adornment attached for the past few years and seeing it so bare had made her freak out. Post-engagement, post-marriage-to-other-guy.

And so she happened to storm into the first and the best jewelry store she could find and bought the most ridiculous looking ring they had. And the biggest. No one should mistake it for an engagement ring or a wedding band. She'd had enough of that for the rest of her life.

Or so she had thought.

Yet here she was in car with none other that Luke Danes, a man that had been circling her personal life for years and years, whom she'd taken far too long to recognize as the man for her. Who would have thought, after everything they had been through, that they would be here again – headed for a third first date.

It had been a few weeks now since Rory's hell of a send-off party and the inevitable thank-you-kiss Lorelai had proceeded to bestow on the diner owner after learning he was really responsible for pulling the whole thing together.

She guessed that at some point deep down she knew it might potentially be something that could happen somewhere down the road after she broke things off with Christopher for good, thus ending a marriage and years of endless speculations about what married life with him might be like. Case closed. End of that particular not so pleasant chapter of her life.

So when Luke stepped up for her after Rory left, it didn't take long before Lorelai was reduced to a puddle of goo, full of affection for the gruff man. Go figure.

Things had been talked out and, boy, that had been rough. Sometime during the conversation-turned-discussion-turned-full-on-heated-argument over the past she had thought it just _couldn't_ happen again.

Thinking back now she wasn't entirely sure whether it was discussing Christopher or April that had set fuel to already heated discussion but they had both snapped and giving into the wonderful impulse of yelling. Yet, at some point, as they paused to regain their breath, they had made eye-contact and burst out laughing. Conclusion: they were arguing just to argue. Point taken.

And so, moving on, they had mutually agreed to resume some sort of romantic relationship that involved both of them being happy because, let's face it, they had not been happy apart, no matter how hard they had attempted to make it work.

That was now a few weeks ago, and despite a few private moments at her house, they hadn't had the chance to go out to properly celebrate their reconciliation.

They were doing it now though. There was only one problem. Luke had refused to inform her where they were going and what they were doing once they got there.

Being confined to her car seat she felt like a small child, impatient and eager to get to the final destination.

'Luuke,' she cooed sweetly. She knew this way of addressing him would instantly alert him to her wanting something but sometimes agitating him was just too funny to pass up.

'Uhuh?' he grunted.

'Will you please, _please, please, please_ tell me where we're going?'

'Nope. I said I'd surprise you and the point of a surprise is you not knowing'

 _Ugh, so boring!_ She thought. But he had been extremely adamant that she know nothing about where this supposed date would take them. In truth she had been pestering him about it all week and not even her prettiest dress and her brightest smile seemed to work their usual magic.

But boy, had she tried to pry just something, anything, out of the stubborn man. But nothing. Nothing.

'But you could surprise me by _telling_ me where we're going.'

'No. Nuhuh. Not happening. Forget it.' He was relentless and it kind of pleased her – not that she planned on sharing that bit of information with him. It had always been a game between the two of them, one that was initiated the moment they met. She would put on an annoying front, he would pretend to be furiously annoyed by it and secretly they both reveled in it. Good game, that.

'Oh come on! No one's that stubborn, mister Stubborn Stubbornson.'

Luke just shook his head, clearly ignoring her attempts at being cute.

'Really, nothing? Man, you're tougher than I thought.'

'Yep.'

Lorelai folder her arms over her chest in mock pretense: 'And still incredibly fond of monosyllables, I see. At least hint at what we're doing. Ooh! We can play 20 Questions! I'm the Master of 20 Questions.'

'We're not playing 20 Questions.' Another shot that barely grazed him. Damn, he was bulletproof today!

'But I need to know if I'm wearing the right attire.' She glanced down her front at her carefully selected outfit for the day. She had spent hours perusing the many shops in the mall as she desperately attempted to find the perfect outfit for yet another back-together-with-Luke-date. It wasn't an easy task.

'What you're wearing is just fine.'

Pretending to be offended, Lorelai shot back: _'Just fine_? Are you kidding me, Burger Boy? I don't want to be _just fine_ for our first date. Well, third first date. Or is it second back-together-with-Luke date? Help me out here."

'Call it whatever you like.' How he could remain so calm, she couldn't understand.

He had told her to dress _casual_. Bullshit. How does one dress casual for a date where you have no idea what the agenda might look like. In the end she had purchased a pair of well-fitted jeans and a complimentary top. Relaxed but also fun. _And kind of boring and predictable,_ she chastised herself.

Was she losing her edge as someone who had always been fashion-forward? What did that make her. Fashion-backward?

'You are completely useless. Outfits need careful planning, mister! What if we were going hiking? Then I'd need hiking boots and a cute vest. Ooh, and a hat!'

'No hiking.'

'Paragliding? Horse riding? Scuba diving? Just a hint, _please._ '

Popping the 'p' he retorted with a determined 'Nope.'

Panic was slowly beginning to seep in. She was losing her touch, her magic touch and persuasive prowess. Lorelai Gilmore could no longer cajole Luke Danes into abiding her wishes by her mere wit. Perhaps their time apart had immunized him to her charms.

She was grasping at straws. 'Shopping! Are we going shopping? We _are_ going shopping!'

In response Luke just sighed and returned his attention to the road. Lorelai felt like a scorned child, one who had just been told off by a parent for being a pain in the ass. Which she probably had been but she was never going to admit that. Or change.

Glowering, she turned away from Luke and instead took to staring out the window, watching cars pass by. Spotting a road sign she noticed for the first time that they were heading in the general direction of Bridgeport.

Bridgeport. Bridge _port_. Port. Harbor. Boats. Sailing. Luke had a boat.

It suddenly made sense.

With a faint smile she muttered, in her best British Colonial Pirate accent: ' _Ohoy matey'._ Maybe it sounded more like a parrot imitating a person but it seemed to have the desired effect. Out of the corner of her eye Lorelai spotted the unmistakable smile of Captain Danes.

* * *

It was actually a real _proper_ boat Luke had, one with a cockpit and all. Lorelai could suddenly understand why Luke had planned on taking April on a long trip. Compared to his father's old boat this seemed almost like a yacht. Without the obvious spot for a helicopter. And a hot tub.

They had arrived at the harbor and Lorelai had gone on a mission to find Luke's boat. Unfortunately none of them had been wearing a boat-sized baseball cap so she had no clues to go by.

After showing impressive patience, by Luke's standards anyway, Luke had grabbed hold of her wrist and dragged her down the landing to a quaint boat with a mast, a cockpit and a nice little decking area complete with matching cushions on the benches.

After debating whether or not Luke should get a captain's hat at the marina store they had finally set out and the boat was now swaying gently from side to side. Its two crew members had taken up spots on the deck, Luke casually taking the occasional swig of beer in between doing something boat-y and Lorelai was nibbling on a sandwich.

'This is nice,' she commented casually, stuffing a piece of Luke's homemade turkey sandwich into his mouth.

Nodding, Luke came to sit beside her. Although they had been apart for so long, her body still responded to his as if it was instinct. As he sat down she automatically shifted so they sat side by side, thighs touching.

'I still can't believe you haven't named your boat yet.' That had been the most startling discovery of the day. All the other boats docked at the marina had names written in swirling letters on the side. There was a _Hakuna Matata,_ a _Shirley,_ a _Belinda Melinda,_ heck, even a _She Got the House_ which had sent Lorelai into a hysterical laughing fit. But Luke's boat had been appallingly bare, naked.

Nada. Zilch.

'And I'm not going to. _You_ name your things, _I-'_ in order to emphasize his point Luke jabbed his chest with a finger, '- do not name my things.'

'Can I name it then? I've got some pretty catchy names up here, mister' she pointed to her head. 'I'm telling ya, I'm the Master of name giving. You on the other hand are not so creative. Naming your diner after yourself, psh!'

'You named your daughter after yourself,' he retorted.

Ignoring him Lorelai continued: 'Remember Bert the Toolbox? And George the Coffee Maker because, man, Clooney's only getting hotter with age. And I topped myself in 2005 by naming my bedside table Viggo. I mean, who wouldn't want Aragorn next to their bed every night, huh?'

As she rambled on, Luke reached out and squeezed her thigh gently.

'I wouldn't.'

'Then you totally missed the point of _The Lord of the Rings_ , my friend. It's all about Aragorn, I'm telling ya.'

'I believe you.'

'Good. Now about this sweet little boat of yours. How 'bout _Rowena?_ It's catchy!'

'No.'

' _Marilyn?_ After Monroe of course. _Happy Birthday Mr. President'_ she crooned for extra effect.

'Forget it.'

' _Some Like it Hot?_ That could totally work.'

He squeezed her thigh tighter, perhaps signaling she ought to shut up already. She, as could only be expected, completely ignored him.

'Lorelai,' he tried warningly. Maybe she misheard him or misunderstood him but suddenly the brightest smile lit her face and she turned to face him.

'I would be honored. I can SO see it. _The Lorelai, Bridgeport_.'

'I didn't-'

'Actually it should probably _Lorelai IV,_ if you count my Gran, me, Rory and-'

Her constant word stream was cut off by Luke's abrupt assault of her lips. It seemed like the only effective way of shutting her up and going by her response it didn't seem like she objected terribly. Instead Lorelai opened herself up to him, probably dropping the forgotten turkey sandwich somwehere in the process.

For the first time since they'd been back together Lorelai finally felt herself let go of any restraints she had put on herself. Not that they had ever been huge on PDA and they had yet to inform the rest of the townsfolk of their rekindled relationship.

Here, out in the middle of the ocean, no one was watching. Maybe a fish or two but right then and there they didn't count.

Luke's arms gingerly wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to him; she responded in equal by sliding her arms around his neck thus preventing him from moving too far back. Not that he seemed interested in doing so.

For a long while they shared long languid kisses, lips exploring lips, tongues meeting, getting reacquainted with each other in the most intimate ways. Just as Luke's hand was slipping under her shirt (which just happened to be conveniently stretchy. Planning a date outfit _was crucial_ ), a loud ringing noise erupted in Lorelai's back pocket.

With a groan Luke pulled back. 'I didn't think there'd be a signal out here. How's there a signal out _here?'_ Someone was clearly agitated.

'Technology, babe,' Lorelai quipped before flipping her phone open.

'Well, if it isn't Hannah Arendt! How's the world famous reporter?'

Mouthing an explanatory _Rory_ she got up and started to straighten out her slightly wrinkled close.

'Good, but I'd hardly say world-famous. So far I've written, like, two pieces so I believe there's still a long way to go to _famous_.'

'Lee Harper only wrote one book and she's world famous. Just you wait. Those pieces you wrote are being read by the millions.'

Luke smiled happily as he watched her interact with her daughter. Even over the phone the two had a ridiculously close and natural relationship. Sometimes he longed for something similar with his own kid. In time maybe.

'Really?' Rory replied, a hint of amusement in her voice.

'Yup'

'So by you and the rest of Stars Hollow you mean?'

'We celebrated with champagne the first time you were published' the mother explained. And they had. A sizeable crowd had gathered at Luke's, broken out a bottle of bubbly and cried a bit when Rory's first article covering Senator Obama's campaign had hit cyberspace.

'Of course you did. I would have been disappointed if you hadn't. Glad to know the fan group remains intact.'

'We're your groupies'

'Ew, gross.'

'Aw, hon, since when are you against a good ol' Stars Hollow love fest?' As she spoke Lorelai batted her eyes at Luke. He almost looked flushed.

'Since now apparently.' As if sensing Lorelai's shifting focus, the younger Gilmore paused at the other end. 'So what are you up to?'

'I've commandeered a ship!'

'What?'

'Aye, matey. _Yoho, and a bottle of rum'_ Lorelai sang out. Luke rolled his eyes.

'You're on a boat? What are you doing on a boat?'

'I thought I'd have another go at "Gilmore steals a boat". Worked out better for me it seems.' This statement was followed by a slightly off-tune recital of the theme song from _Pirates of the Caribbean._

'All by yourself? Or did you find Captain Jack Sparrow on the way?' Rory sounded puzzled.

'Well, unless good old Jack has decided to forgo his Captain's hat for a baseball cap, I'm afraid to disappoint you. I did see Orlando earlier though but I tired of him and tossed him into the water. He's trying to escape the sharks as we speak.'

In her absence Luke had returned to actually steering the boat. Sitting by the rudder, he looked completely as ease. As Lorelai continued her conversation with her daughter she kept casting glances at the man, unable to keep herself from smiling widely.

'You're with Luke?'

At the mention of his name, Luke looked up.

'Yup.'

'Because he has a boat' Rory quipped.

'Yup'

'And you're with him.'

'Yup.'

At some point Lorelai seemed to have stopped actively participating in the conversation and instead she was having a staring competition with Luke. They were both smiling, a lot, so much in fact that she was pretty damn sure her face would hurt a lot later.

Meanwhile Rory rambled on, 'Aw, that's so sweet. You're even talking in monosyllables like him.' Lorelai still wasn't paying full attention. 'Wait a minute. Does this mean- well… Does it?'

'Maybe.' She almost giggled. Once more Luke rolled his eyes. Still smiling, tough.

Rory's response to the news reached the sound level of a siren's call. A loud squeal filled the air and Lorelai, in order to save her hearing, held the phone far away from her face. Once the screaming stopped she dared hold it back up to her ear.

'Oh my god! Finally! But I thought- How long has this been going on?'

Casting a shy glance at Luke and throwing a suggestive wink in there as well, Lorelai gleefully told the tale. 'We might have gone and done some dirty stuff the night before I could finally ship you out into the world.'

As predicted Luke gave a snort which sounded remarkably similar to 'Lorelai!'

'Did you get the joke? _Ship_ you out, 'cause I'm on a ship. Or boat. You went to college, so tell me - what's the difference?'

Ignoring her, Rory gushed, 'Mom, that's so great. I'm really happy for you.'

'Thanks, kid.' Lorelai hesitated a bit, her usual perky, joke-throwing self evaporating. Instead she felt an odd sense of calm and serenity settle over her. 'I'm happy for me, too. And despite the daggers Luke is shooting at me right now, I believe he's quite pleased as well'.

Judging by his wide grin, the diner owner was more than pleased with the situation.

At the other end of the receiver Rory sighed. 'Well, I'll let you get back to your pirate. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!'

'You already stole a boat, kid. The sky's the limit here.'

'Bye!'

Flipping the phone shut (and silencing it), Lorelai approached Luke. Her eyes twinkled and a gust of wind caused her curly hair to flip about her face.

They now stood face to face by the rudder.

'Did you hear that? You're a pirate.'

' _Why's the rum gone_?' was all Luke could think to respond. It seemed to work despite the cheesiness of the line. This time Lorelai initiated the kiss. Locking her arms around his neck she pulled him down to meet her lips, an invitation he gladly accepted.

Let's just say the boat ( _ahem!)_ rocked for a while after that.

* * *

The sun was slowly setting as the old once dubbed _rustic_ truck pulled up in front of the diner. The evening lull seemed to have settled over Stars Hollow – or at least the two people still in the car didn't notice any noteworthy activity.

Luke cut out the engine but didn't make any immediate move to get out of the truck. Neither did Lorelai. 'So, I hope the day was to your liking', he said casually although a hint of hesitation could be traced in his voice.

'Hm. Well, let's see', Lorelai piped up, always eager to talk to break the tension. 'You get points for originality. The boat I had not anticipated, so kudos on that. There was food, booze, sunshine. And my delightful self, of course. And as icing on the cake there was my well planned outfit that came off surprisingly fast.' She grinned mischievously. Luke scoffed. 'So overall I'd say it was a very successful first date.'

And as she had expected him to, Luke smiled warmly as he turned to look at her.

'And here I was thinking it was our _third_ first date.'

'Third, schmirdt. We still have a looooong way to go if we want to compete with Adam and Drew.'

His brows knitted together in apparent confusing. 'And once again I have no idea what you're talking about.'

' _50 First Dates_. It's a movie. Come to think of it, I believe they had a boat too. And The Beach Boys! But who needs The Beach Boys when you've got Luke Danes, huh?' As if to assure him of his superiority to a 60's boy band, Lorelai reached over and patted Luke's leg reassuringly.

'Good thing I rate above boys in striped shirts', he commented dryly.

'I'll take a flannel over stripes any day.'

'Good to know.'

With a low chuckle Luke made to get out of the car and then proceeded to come around to the passenger's side to open for his date. In the past this had caused plenty of problems but tonight Luke was allowed to act as gentlemanly as he pleased. They both new it was probably a one off anyway.

Practically beaming up at the man holding the door, Lorelai climbed out of the battered old vehicle and managed to land remarkably elegantly on her feet (she was of course wearing _casual_ shoes). Luke, however, did not permit her to move further away from the truck.

Instead he stepped closer, forcing Lorelai to lean against the side of the truck. 'How would you like a cup of coffee?' His voice had almost taken on a husky note. This was new.

'You dirty old man! Did I not rock your boat sufficiently earlier today?' It was a weak attempt to laugh it off, and Lorelai quickly gave up. Placing a hand on his chest, she looked up at him with a coy expression.

'You drink bucket loads of coffee on a daily basis. I have a diner, I have coffee, I'm offering you coffee.' If it were possible, Lorelai would have sworn Luke's voice had actually turned husky. _My, my, who would've thought!_

'You know me too well. I'll have coffee, please. But you're seriously saying there was no second agenda behind your proposal? No innuendo whatsoever?'

'And if there was?' Luke leaned in, whispering in her ear now: 'I could supply you with coffee now. And in the morning, if you'd like'. Lorelai gulped at the closeness. This new intimate side of Luke was definitely something she could get used to.

'Luke, are you asking me to stay the night?'

'Maybe.'

And with that he leaned in and gave her a breathtaking kiss. As if she wasn't breathless enough already.

'Lead the way, Starbucks.'

Hand in hand they walked towards the diner, not really paying attention to anything but each other. A sudden thought struck Lorelai and made her halt abruptly.

Slightly nervous she spoke. 'You know, I'm really glad we're doing this again. Me and you.' She hesitated before adding, 'Are you glad we're doing it again?'

'Well-'

'Evil'

He squeezed her hand comfortingly, which encouraged her enough to dare meet his eyes. 'You bet' Luke assured her with a warm smile, one that had serious potential for some heart-melting.

Unable to help herself, Lorelai leaned in for another kiss. She definitely liked this new touchy-feel-y side to their rekindled relationship.

It was the sound of something tapping on glass that broke them apart. Pulling back Lorelai's gaze immediately searched for the source of the sound.

And right there, pressed against the window of Luke's Diner, was what appeared to be every citizen of Stars Hollow. Well, seemed like they had a thing for making a floor show.

Pointing, she stated wryly: 'Uhm, Luke. Know how we talked about having to spill the beans about us to the town at some point? Well, I think it's safe to say the beans have been spilled. Actually they're all over the floor, impossible to clean up.'

Catching sight of the onlookers, Luke groaned.

'Jeez.'

Wide-eyed the spectators suddenly drew back, mock-pretending they'd seen nothing. Well, except Kirk. His face was still pressed against the window, eagerly watching. Well. The cat was out of the back at last.

* * *

 _AN:  
This chapter was a lot lighter than the previous and the tone will remain mostly like this for the rest of the story. Only fun times ahead :)  
And just three more days before we will have 6 hours of new amazing stuff. I find it hard to believe! _

_Please leave a review, dear readers :) I know you want to - and it will make Friday come just a little quicker!_


	3. Burning Matches, Lifting Hatches

_And here's the third installment of this short series. Thanks again for reading a reviewing. This chapter picks up shortly after the second chapter, so sometime in the summer of 2007._

* * *

 **THE TWO OF US  
Chapter 3: Burning Matches, Lifting Hatches**

The hard plastic chair was not doing wonders for her back. Or for her mood. It was early in the day, much too early, and Lorelai had been sitting in the same uncomfortable chair for the past many hours. The waiting room was mostly empty; only the occasional nurse or doctor flitted through on their way to the next patient. For a maternity ward it was very close to being boring.

Worst of all though was the lack of caffeine in her bloodstream. Ever since a panicked Jackson had called her late last night and incoherently explained something about hospitals and babies and chased her from the comfort of Luke's, she had become increasingly irritated and anxious due to a severe caffeine deprivation.

The only coffee vending machine at the ward was broken, and the stupid hospital's stupid cafeteria was closed. So there she was, _sans_ coffee, surrounded by women squeezing out babies.

Rushed footsteps broke her self-pitying moment and she looked up to she a certain flannel-clad someone approaching, with the most divine looking brown paper bag in hand.

'Please, please, please tell me you come bearing coffee. My caffeine levels are down and we're reaching a critical moment, I swear. This one doctor threatened to have me on an IV – with caffeine. That's how bad it is.'

'I'm glad to be of service' Luke replied sarcastically and, for effect, added an eye roll.

'Sorry babe. It's been a long night. Give me coffee and then I'll greet you properly'

To her relief he pulled out a paper cup, embellished with a gold logo and bold lettering spelling out Luke's. When the hot beverage moistened her lips she was unable to hold back a small moan of pleasure.

'I think I just had a small orgasm. Your coffee's that good.'

Luke reacted to her comment by nervously casting glances around the empty waiting room. After ensuring himself they were indeed alone, he nodded curtly. So much for public flirting.

She slurped down the rest of the deliciously hot drink and then, feeling re-energized and eternally grateful, she got on her feet and planted a firm one on him.

'Seriously, thank you Luke.'

He returned the sentiments by gently rubbing her back.

'How's Sookie doing?' She loved how caring he was and how much he cared for her friend, even though he wasn't always the best at putting up with Sookie's constant energy.

'This is her third so it shouldn't be taking this long. Really, from what I'm told it's meant to shoot right out of there, like a projectile.'

Wryly he stated 'Thanks for the visual.'

And it had taken way too long for Sookie to squeeze out the latest addition to the Belleville clan. According to her hurried conversation with Jackson, Sookie had gone into labor while, appropriately enough, watching _She's Having a Baby_. That was yesterday at noon.

The exhaustion of waiting all night was apparently evident and Luke pulled her into a comforting hug. Finally giving in she let herself relax completely and melt into the embrace.

Just as she let her eyes close, her purse started belting the theme from _Keeping Up Appearances_ , signaling an incoming call from one Emily Gilmore.

A nurse peeked out from behind a closed door, glaring at the couple, clearly annoyed at having her coffee break interrupted.

Mouthing a 'sorry' at the nurse, Lorelai flipped open her phone and answered as cheerfully as possible. 'Hello, you've reached Lorelai Gilmore. I'm currently giving birth to a three-headed monster, so I can't reach the phone. Call me later and I will introduce you to Hades, Pain and Panic, my loin fruits.'

'Lorelai, don't be absurd!' Emily was clearly not amused. Luke smirked.

'Ah, hello Mother'

'Why on Earth can't you answer the phone like a normal person?'

Exhaling, she stepped away from Luke to engage in what was bound to be an exhausting conversation with her mother. 'That's so _boring_. I like to think of myself as innovative and sparkly.'

'For goodness sake!'

'Sorry mom. I'm just really tired. I've been at the hospital all night and they're just now feeding me caffeine intravenously.' She cast a longing glance at the empty paper cup. As if reading her mind, Luke reached into the brown bag and pulled out a second cup.

If she had ever doubted that she and Luke were meant to be together, everything was cemented right then and there.

Emily's bitter response called her back from her smiling contest with the diner owner. 'The hospital? What are you doing there?'

'Gee, thanks for the concern'

'I just assumed you wouldn't have picked up the phone if _you_ were hospitalized. Do they even allow cell phones at hospitals?'

'Well, Sherlock, I'm actually here with Sookie. She's having a baby'

While she was sparring with her mother on the phone, Luke had guided her back to the chairs and sat her down.

'Again? I thought she just had one,' Emily enquired haughtily.

'That was two years ago'

'You'd almost think the woman was farming them.' That observation wasn't entirely untrue, Lorelai thought.

'Oh yeah, they're breeding them in Jackson's greenhouse.'

'Lorelai.'

'Sorry. Did you want anything?'

'Yes. Have you looked over the blueprints I sent you yesterday?' Thinking back, Lorelai could not remember anything about any blueprints. In fact she couldn't even fathom what on Earth she would need blueprints for. Well, they might be useful if they could show her how to escape the Gilmore House in the quickest possible way for Friday Night Dinner. Climbing in trees had lost its appeal somewhere in the past twenty years.

'Blueprints?'

'For the spa. Do try to keep up'.

The spa. Of course, she should have guessed. Ever since Emily had brought up the idea of expanding the Dragonfly with a spa, she had been unable to shut up about it. And even though it had taken much convincing, Lorelai had eventually been forced to acknowledge that it was actually a pretty good idea.

That was a week ago. And now Emily had apparently already had blueprints drawn up.

'Mom, now's really not the time to discuss mud and foot rubs. I've been sitting in a plastic chair all night and I just got coffee because the hospital's coffee machine was broken. Can you believe it? They have one job – to provide coffee.'

'Hm.' Lorelai could almost imagine the eye-roll Emily was pulling off at the other end of the receiver. As she was just about to disappear back into a dream of mud baths but with coffee instead, Morticia Adams made a comment that startled her so much she dropped her coffee.

'I'll expect to see you and Luke for dinner tonight. Make sure he shaves'

Tiny drops of heaven slowly seeped onto the floor. Lorelai made no move to stop it.

'What? How did-'

'Oh, please, Lorelai. I know the two of you are back together. It was only a matter of time after your marriage to Christopher ended.'

'But-'

'Of course it would have been nice if you had felt inclined to share such news with us' She could have sworn Emily almost sounded mournful.

'I-' Lorelai attempted to speak but found that the words just would not pass her lips.

'Not that I'd expect you to, of course. We are only your parents'

'We're-' Luke gave her a curious look, probably wondering at her sudden inability to speak.

'We'll see you both tonight then.'

'But-'

'We'll be on our best behavior. He might not be good enough for you, but if he's what you want I know better than to argue with you. You're much too stubborn for your own. Your father and I only wish to see you happy though you seem convinced of the opposite. Does he make you happy, this Luke?'

Conscious thought suddenly seemed to return and Lorelai was able to form a simple reply. 'Yes'.

'Very well then. I'll see you tonight'. And with that Hyacinth Bucket hung up.

Starring down at the offensive object in her hand, Lorelai started shaking her head, partly to erase any memory of the one-sided conversation she had just had with her mother.

She could practically feel Luke's concerned gaze and when she finally was able to meet his eyes, he looked thoroughly puzzled.

Breathing deeply, she asked 'Do you have plans tonight?'

'Not really. There's a baseball game on'

'Well, you're having dinner with me… and my parents'

If she had been an onlooker, Lorelai was sure she would've laughed loudly at the scared look on his face. He looked like he had just been sentenced to death.

'What? I thought you hadn't told them.'

'I haven't. But they _know'_

'How?'

'It's Emily Gilmore. She's like Sauron. She has eyes everywhere.'

Gulping, Luke seemed to finally let the words sink in. Friday Night Dinner. Now there was something to look forward to.

'So… Dinner with the Gilmores, huh?' He looked deflated. Taking on the role of supporting girlfriend, Lorelai stepped over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

'Yeah. Just remember that this particular Gilmore', she pointed to herself, 'loves you, 'kay?' Despite her enthusiastic outburst she wasn't feeling very enthusiastic herself.

'Hm' Luke grunted.

* * *

The Gilmore Home had to have gotten bigger since the last time he was here. When was that? He couldn't remember. Swallowing hard he tried to ignore his parched throat. Meeting the parents. He'd done it before. Heck, he'd even met these particular parents before and under much worse circumstances. Back then they hated him, wanted rid of him so their daughter could move on to bigger and better things.

Well, tough. Now she had tried that (inwardly Luke considered Christopher significantly smaller) and still she had come back to him, to Luke. Or he had come to her. In the end it didn't matter. What mattered was that he and Lorelai were back together. For good. Back together for good.

' _I guess now it's time for me to give up. I think it's time'_ Lorelai sang off-key next to him as they continued to stare up at the big house.

'It's bigger. More-'

'Scary? Terrifying? This-was-a-really-bad-idea-and-I-think-we-should-do-a-runner?' She supplied.

'-big,' he finished lamely.

At that exact moment the front door was yanked open. It miraculously stayed on its hinges. Emily Gilmore looked out at the befuddled couple. For a split second her face was passive but then, surprisingly, she allowed a small smile to grace her features.

'There you are. Come on in.'

Deciding to take the lead and not cower behind Lorelai, Luke grabbed hold of her hand firmly and led the way inside. The house seemed to shrink just a little.

After shrugging out of his jacket, he carefully handed it over to the waiting maid and then turned to face the music. It couldn't be that bad, it was only the Elder Gilmores after all. At that thought Luke had to repress a shudder.

'Luke, it's great to see you again. Thank you for coming on such short notice. And don't worry, I won't bite,' as Emily spoke the last sentence she made a sudden lash-out with one arm. The sudden movement caused Luke to step back as if a snake had lashed out at him. At this Emily simply laughed heartily.

'Who are you and what have you done with Emily Gilmore?' Lorelai exclaimed, clearly just as surprised by Emily's behavior.

'Oh please. I'm just teasing Luke. He can take it, I'm sure. You can take it, can't you Luke?' Her eyes rested on him and instead of the sneer he was used to, Emily's eyes were alight with mischief.

He stuttered, 'Sure.'

In order to offer support Lorelai gently patted his back. Just then Richard Gilmore came out to join the small party in the hallway. Upon seeing his daughter and Luke he smiled warmly.

'Luke, Lorelai. You're here. Wonderful.'

The couple exchanged a confused look at the unusual amount of pleasantries they had encountered already – and they had only just stepped through the door.

Heading in the direction of the sitting room Richard patted Luke's back, which could be seen as a gesture of camaraderie. Lorelai remained rooted to the floor in shock until her mother placed two hands on her shoulders and pressed her forward forcefully.

'So, Luke, how about a drink? We have Scotch, a real fine one, but we also have beer if you'd prefer that?' Richard inquired. Imitating a gold fish very well Luke opened and closed his mouth a few times, not saying a word. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and collected enough courage to stammer a 'Scotch, please.'

Soon all were seated, Luke and Lorelai on the small love seat with Emily and Richard and their usual chairs.

'Luke, how's that diner of yours?' Emily inquired in an attempt to break the silence. And she almost managed to keep the disapproval out of her voice.

'It's, uh, fine. Busy.'

'Even with the recession?' Richard piped up, looking strangely interested.

'Yeah, uh. People gotta eat, you know.'

'I'm eating!' Lorelai supplied wantonly, hoping to break the awkwardness that had settled over the small company.

'Well, it's impressive that you can feed an entire town on a daily basis,' Richard commented.

'And those small town people have some appetite. We saw that at Rory's Farewell Party, didn't we Richard?'

 _Finally_ , Lorelai thought, _Emily has found a way to pick on our life again._ She instinctively scooted a bit closer to Luke in an attempt to shield him from the onslaught she foresaw coming.

'That was some send-off. Very impressive. Rory must have loved it.' With her tonsils hanging out Lorelai gaped at her mother. This was not what she had been expecting. And when the mighty Richard Gilmore joined in seconds later, she was stunned into completely silence.

'Indeed. And I believe we have you to thank, Luke. So thank you for giving our granddaughter a proper send-off.'

'I-' Luke stuttered.

'It showed how much you care. So thank you.' This time Emily was the one talking. Even though the words weren't spoken particularly heartfelt, there was still a hint of gratitude in her voice. This was the closest to acceptance Emily Gilmore would ever come. And Lorelai was awestruck. Seemingly so was Luke. He just gaped at them.

'And it showed great organizational skills too, I believe. Wouldn't you say so Emily? Perhaps Luke could help you organize one of your next DAR functions?'

Just then the maid entered, announcing dinner was ready, and thus saved them all from a slightly unpleasant avoidance dance.

* * *

She couldn't believe it. They were leaving the lion's den unscathed. Nothing had happened, all limbs were intact. Mr. and Mrs. Mussolini had turned into Mr. and Mrs. Camden, cheesy title song included.

With Luke's hand comfortably resting against her lower back, guiding her toward the door, they were actually leaving what had to be the first pleasant Friday Night Dinner in, well, forever.

Wow.

As the maid went to fetch their coats, Luke turned around and put out his hand to the Gilmores. 'Emily, Richard – thank you for a great evening. Great food.'

He spoke confidently and even dared use their first names. She really wasn't imagining things. It had gone well!

Smiling, Richard shook his outstretched hand. 'Ah, glad you liked it, son. Listen, Luke, before you go I have one last… request.'

She felt Luke freeze next to her, the hesitation setting in. 'Shoot.'

'Yes, well. Do you think you might be able to get the occasional Friday off from that diner of yours?'

'Uhm. Probably. I can always have Ceasar cover for me.'

Uh uh. Lorelai began to fear the worst. Surely World War III was on the brink of starting with a bloody battle.

Richard perked up. 'Wonderful! How would you then feel about attending our small dinners more frequently? I'm sure Lorelai would appreciate the company now that Rory's off, gallivanting around the country.'

Okay, maybe not. But tonight had to be a one-off. Maybe aliens had put new, fresh copies of the Gilmores in their stead and it wouldn't be so bad. Yet Lorelai tried to salvage what could be salvaged.

'Dad!' she exclaimed and then turned to the man next to her. 'Luke, you don't have to. No pressure.'

Apparently there was plenty of pressure. Emily shook her head at her daughter's objections and interjected, 'Oh hush, Lorelai. We really would like to see more of you, Luke, now that you and our daughter are reconciled.'

Seeing no escape, Luke acquiesced, 'Uhm, sure. Sounds great. I'll come.'

'Marvelous,' Richard enthused. 'Now tell me, how do you like cigars?"

'Cigars?'

'I always thought a cigar and a fine brandy in my study after dinner would do nicely. Give the girls some time to gossip and such.'

This time is was Emily who objected to her husband's ridiculous notion of male-bonding time.

'No, Richard, you won't be smoking any cigars. It's a filthy habit and I'm sure Luke's customers wouldn't appreciate him reeking of cigar smoke.'

Appeasing his wife, Richard nodded his head in agreement. 'Fine, dear. Have it your way. No cigars.'

Argument over, case closed, time to vamoose. Pulling Luke by the arm, Lorelai made a beeline for the front door.

'Right. We really should get home now. Bye!'

' _Home_? So the two of you live together?' Emily's eyebrows furrowed as she regarded her daughter and Luke inquisitively. _Damn._

'Mom.' The panic room that had once resided in the hallway suddenly seemed like a great idea. Where was it when you needed it? Lorelai chastised herself from encouraging her mother to get rid of it.

'Oh please, Lorelai. It would hardly be a surprise,' Emily astutely observed. 'I will call you tomorrow so we can start discussing your engagement party. We have to start planning soon.'

Spluttering, Lorelai exclaimed: 'What? What _engagement party_? We're not engaged.'

'You're not?' Richard commented. He almost sounded… disappointed?

Mrs. Mussolini was back. 'So you mean to tell me that the two of you _are_ back together, _living_ together, but you're not _engaged_? Please.'

'Mom!'

'Honestly, Lorelai! You were engaged before, if I'm not mistaken, so it only makes sense that you are now.'

'Trust me, we're not. Luke and I just got back together, we don't want to rush things.'

'Rush things? Neither of you are getting any younger. If you want a chance of having children before you're too old, you should be rushing.'

Some things never changed. Or so it would seem. Ignoring her mother's final outburst, Lorelai grabbed a firm hold of Luke's sleeve and forcefully pulled him to door.

'Okay, we're just gonna go. Bye!' she called over her shoulder.

'Uh, thanks again' Luke said feebly, casting one last glance in the direction of his girlfriend's parents.

'Goodbye Luke. See you next Friday,' Richard said cordially.

'Right. Next Friday'.

Finally the door slammed shut, effectively sealing the passageway to their world.

Side by side they stood outside the Gilmore Mansion, breathing raggedly. If their clothes had been torn to pieces they would have looked like they had just escaped the Coliseum.

'It was so close. _So close_.' Exasperatedly she hid her face in his shoulder.

'I left my jacket,' Luke commented dryly.

Thank god it was still summer.

'You'll get it next Friday,' she quipped but the should was muffled by his suit jacket.

Luke exhaled deeply in response.

* * *

 _And that's it for now folks. The final two chapters will be up very soon!_

 _Thanks_


	4. On Our Way

_And here on GG-day (no one cares about Black Friday anyway), I present to you: Chapter 4. This is another "slowing getting back to when things were good" chapter before you get the final installment._

 _Thanks for staying with me - and of course: ENJOY!_

* * *

 **THE TWO OF US**

 **Chapter 4: On Our Way**

It probably wouldn't be long before he actually managed to wear a hole in the ugly floor from his constant pacing. Around him people were milling about, heading in every direction with large suitcases trailing behind them. He shouldn't have come this early but in his fear of being late, Luke had left Stars Hollow long ago in order to get to the airport in Hartford. Any minute now April's plane was due and he would finally be able to greet his teenage daughter whom he hadn't seen all summer.

And of course he looked forward to seeing her, she was his daughter! But he couldn't help but fight back feelings of anxiety at the thought of reintroducing April to the life he had rebuilt with Lorelai over the summer. Over the course of the past two months they had created a small bubble of bliss in which the world seemed perfectly back on track. But bringing April into that bubble? Well, considering their history he couldn't help but wonder if it would cause the bubble to burst.

After spending the entire summer at some prestigious Science Camp April was going to stay in Stars Hollow for the remaining two weeks of her summer break before flying back to New Mexico. When the plan had originally been made, Luke had intended to take April out on the boat for a short trip, but now that Lorelai was back in the picture… Well, he kind of wanted to be close to Stars Hollow.

She, of course, had insisted that he go on the trip with April - for some father-daughter bonding time, as she'd said, but Luke hadn't made his mind up yet. He wanted time alone with April, sure, but the fear of repeating past mistakes had kept him from deciding one way or another.

A part of him wanted Lorelai to join them on the boating trip. She knew where to get the good lobster, but he hadn't dared suggest it. Besides, April wasn't entirely up to date on the most recent developments in his and Lorelai's rekindled relationship. Actually she didn't know there was such a relationship.

'Dad!' April's call broke him out of his reverie and he turned around just in time to catch the teenager as she propelled herself against him. The enthusiastic way in which she greeted him had his heart soaring and it seemed to calm his fears. At least for the time being.

'Hey, April. How was camp?'

'It was soooo awesome!' and she set off on a full-on rant about how amazing the science camp had been. On the drive back from Hartford April kept talking which allowed Luke to contribute with monosyllables only. Strange how he, the Master of Monosyllables, seemed to be surrounded by the chattiest women on the planet. Not that he minded. At all in fact.

As they passed the sign that marked that they were now on Stars Hollow territory, April seemed to take a sudden interest in the small town.

'So, fill me in on the gossip here,' she exclaimed happily.

'Uh,'

'Oh, come on Dad! Don't tell me you've been living under a rock all summer. I know you pretend to dislike the town but you own a diner, you have to tell me something. What's Kirk been up to?'

Hesitantly Luke let her in on a bit of the usual craziness displayed by the town loonies over the past few months. Kirk had taken to jogging in the morning wearing disgustingly tight shorts, someone had dyed Taylor's award winning roses.

By the time they pulled up at the diner, April seemed satisfied with her newfound knowledge and she braced herself with meeting the crazy diner clientele. She shot off and Luke was left to carry her bags into his place of business (and home, too, he supposed).

It felt strange, entering the small living space above the diner. This apartment had been his home for many years but recently he hadn't spent much time here. Actually he probably hadn't slept in his own bed for more than a month. Instead it had become habit to go straight to the Crap Shack after the diner was closed - even when he had early deliveries. Even before everything had fallen apart the previous year, when they had still been engaged, he would occasionally stay over at his 'Man Cave' as Lorelai had dubbed it. Now, he had come to resent being here.

It had been slightly awkward at first, staying at Lorelai's house. The house still bore the presence of another man. But, Lorelai being Lorelai, she had quickly observed his unease and when he came over one evening all traces of Christopher (and her marriage to him) had been erased, and instead all Luke-related memorabilia had re-appeared. Even his old spatula was back.

Lorelai had told him of how, after that fateful night the previous May, she had attempted to clean out everything that reminded her of him. And she had meant to throw it all out. Actually she thought she had but Rory, Ivy League cleverness and all, had swooped in and secretly stored all things Luke-related in boxes marked 'Rory's books'. So when Lorelai had announced that she and Luke were back together, Rory had confessed and soon little things began to appear around the Crap Shack, welcoming Luke back.

Yet now he was back above the diner with his daughter who had no idea that he was with Lorelai again. He really had to come clean soon. But he was slightly concerned, wondering which way this new information would tip the scale. Not that he feared April would react negatively; he knew she adored Lorelai, but he feared Anna's reaction. Lorelai had taken everything in full strides, supporting him in ways he had never thought possible. But she was of course just being Lorelai.

They'd discussed it and decided that they should tell April first, then Anna. After all, Luke had shared custody of his daughter now and he felt she deserved to know before her mother. Yet, a small part of him was still afraid of Anna's reaction. But Lorelai had promised to stand by him and together they would face the music. And he was pretty sure it wouldn't be Mozart they'd get to hear.

So, all he had to do was tell April.

That was easy. Right?

He chickened out. It wasn't that he didn't have a chance to tell her, but it just didn't feel right. And it wasn't that he didn't want April to know. Because he did - of course he did. He just wasn't entirely sure how to tell her and somehow just blurting it out didn't feel quite right.

Caeser had agreed to close that night so Luke and his daughter had retreated to the office-turned-apartment to have dinner. Multiple times he'd come close to sharing his news but April had enthusiastically talked the whole evening - about camp, shopping, make-up, friends and, much to Luke's dismay, a bit about boys too.

Now he was cooped up in bed, feeling infinitely guilty. Guilty for lying to his daughter and guilty for breaking his promise to Lorelai. Well, they hadn't agreed on _when_ he would tell April, just that he would. And so far he hadn't.

' _Hey April, remember Lorelai? The woman I was engaged to but whose heart I broke. Well, we're back together.'_

No, that wouldn't do.

' _April, I have some news. Lorelai and I have reconciled and I want to marry her.'_

Probably not the best idea either.

' _April, how would you feel about having an older sister? Sort of, anyway. Remember Rory? And do you remember how Lorelai was going to be your stepmom last year? Well, she might-'_

Luke shook his head in frustration. It seemed there was no easy way to do it. Groaning he turned over and felt his frustration grow. The apartment was too small, too empty. The bed was too big, too empty.

He missed Lorelai. She would know what to say and how to ease April into what was bound to be an awkward conversation. Why on Earth had he been to caught up in sorting things by himself the first time around? Lorelai was a woman, she knew how to handle things. Damn, he was an idiot sometimes.

For a moment he considered calling her, but when he noticed the alarm next to the bed reading 02:02 he decided against it. He had deliveries in a few hours anyway. He had made his bed and now he apparently had to lie on it - alone.

* * *

Coffee.

Coffee-coffee-coffee.

It was the only thing on Lorelai's mind the following morning and she strode purposefully towards the diner.

She had had the most horrible night in a long time, tossing and turning from side to side. And there had been no one there to calm the qualms. Usually, if she was having trouble sleeping, Luke would wrap an arm around her, pull her close and within minutes his soothing presence would make her drift off. It seemed unbelievable to her that her that she had managed to go almost a full year without Luke by her side (and in her bed). Now she couldn't even go one night without him there.

As she struggled up the three steps to the diner her caffeine deprived brain finally realized how co-dependent on one another they had grown over the summer. It should scare her. Years back it would have, but now, she realized, she was completely ready to be all in and finally have her middle with Luke. Heck, if he still wanted to, she would gladly be Mrs. Backwards Baseball Cap.

But before she tackled that, she needed coffee. Then she would work out a plan to get Luke Danes back into her bed permanently. Dirty and perfectly innocent things included.

Dragging her feet, she managed to climb the two steps of the diner but just as she was about to reach out to open the door, she spotted a head of frizzy dark hair by one of the tables. April. Lorelai stopped dead in her tracks, momentarily shocked into silence. She knew that April was going to be here and that she would get to know the girl now but still, seeing her there, half-asleep in the diner, was still a shocker.

Right. Meeting the daughter 2.0. As nervous as she was Lorelai decided it could only be better than the first time she met Luke's kid. This time she knew April existed, April knew who she was and seemed to like her. It would be okay - Luke had promised her that it would be okay.

Plastering a smile on her face, Lorelai braced herself and finally entered the diner. The chiming of the bell above the door seemed to wake April and she gazed up to see who had entered her father's business. At the sight of Lorelai, April smiled widely (and genuinely) and seemed to perk up significantly.

Lorelai felt the relief flood through her as April called out to her.

'Hey kid! Long time, no see, huh?' she asked as she made a beeline for April's table. The teenager, who had previously been slumped over the table half-asleep, shot out of her chair and wrapped her arms warmly around Lorelai's waist in greeting.

Chuckling at her enthusiastic greeting, Lorelai jokingly commented, 'Wow, you're chipper all of a sudden. How'd you manage that? You looked like you were sleeping just now.'

'I know,' April growled and in that moment there was not a doubt in Lorelai's mind that April truly was Luke's daughter. She had mastered the infamous Growl. All that remained now was to test her grunting abilities.

'I'm dead exhausted, you know. Dad couldn't sleep yesterday. He kept tossing and turning which meant no sleep for me, 'April continued as she sat back down. Taking the onslaught of words as an invite to a longer conversation Lorelai sat down next to her.

'Man, that's rough kid. So now you're suffering from the no-walls syndrome?'

In response April nodded tiredly. ''Yeah. All I could hear was deep sighs. And of course it didn't help when the alarm went off at 4:30.'

Lorelai knew all too well the evilness that was Luke's alarm. One time too many had she been dragged out of blissful sleep by its insistent chirping.

'Tell me about it!' she exclaimed, only realzsing the slip of her tongue too late. April didn't know about them yet she assumed and spilling the beans on how she had spent the night in Luke's bed - probably not the best way to go about it.

Just as her sleep-deprived brain was trying to think up a quick save, a flannel-clad knight walked up to the table. Like her, he had dark circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep. _Well, at least I'm not the only one_ she thought. Luke looked at her for a moment, taking in her tired expression.

'You okay?' he asked with a frown appearing on his face.

'Just didn't sleep much,' she informed him. Just then her eyes fell on the familiar pot of heaven in his hand. 'But here comes the knight in shining armor. Gimme!' To emphasize her wish, she pointed at the pot.

Acquiescing, Luke placed a mug in front of her and then proceeded to fill it with the black liquid. Lorelai clapped her hands jubilantly. At her reaction Luke muttered a silent 'Addict', but the smile playing at the corner of his lips told an entirely different story.

'Nu-uh,' Lorelai disagreed teasingly. 'Did you ever consider the possibility that coffee might be addicted to me? _'Cause I'm irresistible,'_ she purred. It was such a natural thing for them to do, the flirting. For years it had been her primary mode of communication with Luke and now that they were back together it seemed like second nature. The fact that Luke's daughter was watching the exchange didn't seem to cross either of their minds at the time.

'You're crazy, is what you are,' Luke muttered, shaking his head.

Lorelai grinned widely but pretended to ignore his snide comment. Instead she sipped and almost whimpered in pleasure as the dark liquid touched her lips.

Bringing out her inner Shakespeare she proclaimed ' _Did my heart love till now?_ '. April giggled, Luke grunted. ' _Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night'_ and thus with a kiss for the mug, her declaration of love for coffee ended.

April clapped at the performance and, still in character, Lorelai bowed her head gracefully. Never one to engage in such outrageous displays Luke quickly stalked off back to the kitchen to fix breakfast for the two ladies in his life.

April, though invigorated, eyed Lorelai's lover (the mug) curiously. Noting this Lorelai acted on impulse and pushed the mug towards the teenager with an encouraging nod.

''Try this. It's magic'

April looked at her wearily, then gazed down at the offered coffee.

'Trust me. _Magic_. It's all about the caffeine, kid,' Lorelai nudged the mug closer to April. The appealing smell washed over both of them and filled her with a sense of completion. With a deep intake of breath April seemed to steel her resolve.

Back straightened she reached out and closed both hands around the bucket-sized mug before carefully bringing it closer.

'Okay, cool,' she reasoned. 'I've wanted to try coffee for a while now actually. Did you know they say one cup a day can actually prolong your life?'

Smiling, Lorelai quirked an eyebrow at the girl. 'Well, then I'll never die'

'You're a regular Nicolas Flamel!' Sniffing, she paused and gazed at the brown drink for a long while. Lorelai almost got impatient.

'Okay, here goes nothing, huh?'

Bringing the mug to her lips April carefully tilted it just enough to allow a few drops to touch her lips. April smacked her lips together a few times, considering the taste of her first ever coffee carefully.

'What are you doing?' A voice interrupted sternly. Looking up Lorelai saw Luke approach their table in long strides with two plates in hand. He wore a look of slight anger and clear annoyance.

'Who, me? Nothing?' She replied in mock-offense. Getting Luke all riled up had to be up there among her favorite pastimes.

He pointed at her accusingly. 'Are you trying to kill my kid?'

Coming to her rescue April intersected, 'Actually, it's not half-bad, dad. You should try some. And if consumed moderately it can actually be good for you.'

Sputtering, Luke's gaze turned from his daughter to Lorelai and back. 'I'm gone five seconds and she's already turning against me.'

Unable to contain herself Lorelai exclaimed gleefully,''Behold! the Lorelai Gilmore Powers of Persuasion. Sorry, doll.'

Observing the exchange was April, an amused smile playing at her lips. It seemed the two adults had finally managed to drag their heads out of the gutter and gotten themselves together. For a little while she allowed them to stare at one another, the radiant happiness shining from them both, but eventually April was unable to contain herself any longer.

Interrupting she casually inquired, 'So how long have you two been back together?'

Moment broken, the two adults turned abruptly back to the teenager with equally horrified expressions on their faces.

'What? How-' Luke stuttered.

'We're-' Lorelai spluttered.

'I might be a kid but I'm not blind,' April gleefully praised her own observational skills.

'I-'. And Lorelai was still speechless.

'Seriously. The flirting, guys? And she quoted _Romeo and Juliet_ for God's sake. No one likes coffee that much.'

With a pointed stare and Lorelai, Luke muttered, 'I wouldn't be so sure of that.'

Seeing April's happy acceptance of the two of them being back together only encouraged Lorelai to partake in the joke.

' _Deny thy father and refuse thy name,_ ' she quoted with a happy smily, 'Because it's me and coffee forever, babe. My one true love'.

This earned an annoyed 'Jeez' from Luke, but April just grinned.

'I'm, like, so happy for you! You should have seen the mood he's been in without you.'

Letting April's enthusiasm catch on Lorelai mused 'Ooh, did he cry out in his sleep: _O Lorelai, Lorelai! Wherefore art thou Lorelai?'_

'Lorelai,' Luke said in warning but he was promptly ignored by both girls.

'You so did!' Lorelai exclaimed.

'He grunted a lot,' April explained.

'Jeez.'

* * *

After finishing a third cup of coffee and chatting animatedly with April about her exotic New Mexico life, Lorelai had to run off in order to make it to the inn in time. With an extra jaunt added to her step she sachéed into the Dragonfly kitchen where Sookie's replacement was already hard at work, ordering the various kitchen employees around. Making it straight to the coffee machine she almost bumped directly into Michel. He eyed her warily.

'You are too cheerful. It is disgusting,' he commented haughtily before leaving kitchen. Lorelai just laughed, grabbed her coffee and went into her office to begin work.

A few hours later she emerged once again in a caffeine frenzy. All the paperwork that had amounted on her desk had taken a few hours to sort through and in the meantime she had completely forgotten to stock up on coffee.

Just as she walked through the dining area she spotted a familiar dark haired girl standing awkwardly to the side.

'April?'

'Oh, hi Lorelai,' she quipped.

'You okay there? I thought you were spending the day at the diner.'

'Filling salt and pepper shakers quickly gets old so I thought I'd tour Stars Hollow. It's a lot smaller than I remembered'

'But still as colorful.' As if called upon Michel came running into the dining area, arms raised. He headed for Lorelai, fuming.

'There is no soy milk in the kitchen. Why is there no soy milk in the kitchen?' Arms flailing, he pointed in the direction of the kitchen.

'Because we have real milk?' Lorelai suggested lamely which made Michel cry out in frustration before he stormed off back to the reception area.

'Makes Picasso look dull'.

Chuckling to herself Lorelai stepped closer to the confused looking April and placed an arm around her shoulder before leading her to the sanctuary of her office. Once inside she guided April to a chair and practically forced her to sit down.

'Okay, kid, time to spill the beans. What's going on?'

April looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before drawing in a long breath.

'Okay, so you know I'm like super jazzed that you and dad are back together, right? Because I totally am. I mean you make him happy and you're extremely cool and even though I don't know Rory that well she seems really great, too. But I wondered, you know, when you broke up last year… Was it because of me?' April ranted. Lorelai looked at the kid of her diner owner and the more April spoke the more she seemed like Luke.

'Because I know it was difficult for you when I came into dad's life like I did and then he didn't tell you which was totally uncool and-'

'April, breathe,' Lorelai interrupted her with a small smile. Even though April was growing up quickly and soon would approach adulthood, it seemed wrong that she should feel guilty.

'Okay,' April agreed. 'Breathe. I can do that'.

'April, you need to know that it wasn't your fault that things between your dad and me turned sour last year. No one blames you for anything so you really shouldn't either. There were so many things that caused the break-up. We both acted like idiots for one. But you learn from your mistakes, you know? I know I'm like Superwoman but even I make mistakes. But we're good now, me and Luke. _Really_ good.'

'Okay, cool'

'Yeah? Good.'

'Can we stay at your house from now on then? I can stay on the couch, no problem. As long as you have walls.'

'Uhm. How 'bout I talk to your dad?'

'Great! Can I see the horses?'

* * *

While April gushed over Cletus and Destemona Lorelai decided it was time to call Luke and inform him of his daughter's whereabouts. Taking refuge on the porch she flipped open the phone and pressed speed-dial for the diner. Even in the time they'd been apart she had never been able to delete Luke's number off of speed dial. Christopher, of course, hadn't known this which was just as well. Whenever she debated with herself about whether or not to keep it she told herself an emergency might arise that required a fix-it burger. And so Luke's number had stayed.

'Luke´s,' a familiar voice called out. In the background she could hearthe murmurs of a packed diner.

'Hey, it's me'

'Oh hey. Everything okay?'

She took a quick breath and glanced at April who was happily nuzzling Cletus' nose. 'Yeah everything's fine. I just wanted you to know that April's here'

'April?'

'Yeah, you know, big curly hair, glasses, and she looks a lot like you'

'I know who April is. What is she doing at the inn? She was touring Stars Hollow'. Lorelai could detect a hint of irritation building in Luke's voice and she had to fight hard not to reply with a bitter remark.

'And besides the diner the inn is the second-best attraction'. She really did her best to sound cheerful but an edge of bitterness crept into her words regardless.

'You know that's not what I meant'. This dance of theirs was perfectly normal. Agitation, deflection and then back to status quo.

Breathing deeply and forcing a faint smile she decided to let it go for the time being. They were still new at this – being back together and discussing April openly. 'I know. Just teasing you. As you might have noticed it is my favorite pass-time.'

'Lorelai…'

'She just needed to vent, you know. She thought she might have caused our break-up last year'

'She, what?' Luke's concern for his daughter had her heart beating just a little bit faster.

'She rant like you do, you know. But yeah, she feared she might be the cause of it. I told her that wasn't true and that she shouldn't feel guilty. All's good'

'You sure?' She almost thought he sounded appreciative of her now. Well, her parenting skills were pretty awesome if she may say so herself.

'Yeah, , she also asked if the two of you could just stay at my house from now on. Apparently she prefers not to share her bedroom with her dad.'

In a classic Luke gesture he exhaled deeply. 'Jeez'.

* * *

 _Alright, just one more. It will be up very soon._

 _xx_


	5. We're Going Home

_Here we are. The fifth and final chapter of this short story. Thanks for taking the journey with me. I hope it could somehow bridge the gap between Season 7 and A Year in the Life._

 _And in case anyone was wondering. The title of the story (and of the chapters) were taken from "Two of Us" by The Beatles. Good old classic, so give it a listen._

 _For the last time: Enjoy!_

* * *

 **THE TWO OF US  
**

 **Chapter 5: We're Going Home**

 _January, 2008._

Things were good. Like _really_ good. It was hard to believe that about a year ago she had been (un)happily married to another man, postponed Christmas and awkwardly shook the hand of the man now standing opposite her.

Lorelai titled her head and studied him with a curious smile as he continued to wipe down the counter. It was such a familiar movement for him, probably an ingrained part of his strange brain. She loved him for it - and he provided her with coffee on a daily basis which for her only made the heart grow fonder.

Sometimes Lorelai couldn't believe her luck in life. In spite of being thrown a curve-ball in the form of a teenage pregnancy at the age of 16 she now had the greatest kid on the whole of the planet. And on top of that she had a great boyfriend and an equally fantastic (almost) stepdaughter. So - things were good.

But of course things couldn't just remain good, now could they?

The bell above the diner door chimed loudly as the door was triumphantly kicked open. The tall lanky form of Kirk entered and made a beeline for the counter.

'Woo!' He exclaimed jubilantly. Lorelai gave him a puzzled look but didn't think anything more of it. It was Kirk after all. And on top of that it was Kirk in Stars Hollow. Luke, on the other hand, sent him a look that certainly wasn't meant to initiate a conversation.

'Hi Kirk!' Lorelai quipped in an attempt to divert Kirk's attention and potentially choose another confidante.

'Oh. Hi Lorelai.' Nope. Kirk still seemed intent on speaking to Luke whom he had apparently appointed as his best friend in the whole if the Hollow.

'You okay there? You seem - happy.'

And he did. Remembering his joviality Kirk pumped his fist in the air and added another 'woop!' for emphasis.

'Get out.' Luke muttered, clearly annoyed to have the quiet late morning lull interrupted.

'But I'm getting married.'

Now that was - unexpected to say the least. You could say many things about Kirk Gleason, both good and bad. His many oddities had always made Lorelai fond of the guy and she only wanted what was best for him. The fact that he had managed to find someone like Lulu was incredible. But that he would get married before her just seemed… weird.

Well, she had been married. But not to the one she had hoped to be married to.

'Wow, that's great Kirk.'

'Celebrate somewhere else,'

But this is the only place I know. We need champagne'

'I haven't got a license so - no champagne. Now, get out'

'Luke, let him.'

'No.'

'But where can I get champagne? You're supposed to get champagne, right?'

He looked at Lorelai with a completely lost look in his eyes.

'Champagne sounds like a great idea, Kirk. I'm sure Lulu will be happy'

'Did you have champagne when you got engaged?'

Luke looked up sharply as Lorelai's mouth clamped shut. A part of her wanted to ask ' _which engagement?'_ but at least she was able to hold her tongue.

'Get out,' Luke said curtly before turning around and angrily beginning to refill the coffee machine. Kirk looked flustered and turned to Lorelai with an expectant face.

'Uhm… Look, Kirk, champagne sounds great so why don't you go to Doose's and see if they have some, hm?'

'I guess. I've never had champagne before.' And with that Kirk stalked off towards the small supermarket. The few people in the diner disappointingly turned away. Show over.

For what seemed like an eternity Luke kept himself busy with various tasks that allowed him to keep his back turned on Lorelai. And she had to admit it hurt just a little bit. At Kirk's question she had been reminded of a magical night of Zima and great sex.

It was impressive how they had managed to avoid the topic of their previous engagement and almost-marriage for so long. But now it seemed to have arrived right in front of them, knocking their heads together.

 _Take that,_ it said.

 _Taken_.

* * *

A few days later and they still hadn't discussed their previous engagement. Instead it seemed that they had come to a mutual conclusion: we're pretending it didn't happen. Instead Lorelai had thrown herself headfirst into planning Lulu's wedding dress. On a tight budget a flushed looking Lulu had approached Lorelai the day before and blabbed on about her excellent sewing skills before she finally got up the courage to ask Lorelai for her help. Apart from having a tight budget, it turned out they also had a very limited timeframe.

Apparently Kirk and Lulu were so excited about the idea of marriage that they had decided to tie the knot only two weeks from now. And so, it was safe to say that the town of Stars Hollow was suddenly in a bit of a frenzy.

Whilst Lorelai had happily taken on the task of dressmaker, Luke instead was refusing to be involved in the wedding preparations which, at the moment, meant that everything was at a standstill. Kirk had decided the perfect location to get married was the diner. It was where he and Lulu had had their first date, and so he was adamant on convincing Luke. So far that had gotten him thrown out of his favourite establishment five times, and bets were being taken on how many times it would be before he either convinced the diner owner or gave up.

The bells chimed loudly, followed by a low thud as Kirk hit the ground for the sixth time in just two days. If anything he was persistent.

* * *

It was no secret that Lorelai Gilmore loved winters but the long snowless weeks they had to endure were more or less hateful, spiteful periods of time she had to suffer through. This was one of those times. It was cold, dark and she wanted to kick something.

She sat on the couch securely wrapped in a blanket, yet she could swear her fingers would fall off soon. Luke was still at the diner but he had promised he would be home soon and - best of all - bring her a lovely greasy dinner. Hopefully a cheese burger.

With curly fries.

And a bagel on the side.

And boysenberry pie.

With whipped cream.

And lots and lots of coffee.

Okay, so yeah, she might be hungry . In an attempt to distract her mind from becoming too focused on food, Lorelai grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. Immediately the smiling face of a petite blonde woman in a very extravagant white lace gown appeared. Her smile was broad, and a single tear slid down her face. The picture changed to reveal a group of women sitting next to each other on a row of chairs, all with tears in their eyes as well.

And shop assistant walked up to the bride-to-be and asked her "do you say yes to the dress?" and she did.

Lorelai had stopped moving when the show came on, infuriatingly transfixed by the sight of someone trying on wedding dresses, getting ready for the allegedly biggest day of their lives. Faint memories of a time when she had been the one walking into a shop to find _the_ dress for her upcoming wedding to _the_ man. In the time that followed the had lost the man but kept the dress.

Now the man was back. But the dress? Leaving the TV on, Lorelai got up from the couch and hurried up the stairs to the bedroom. Cautiously she approached the closet, opened the doors and stared at the mess of clothes in there. Somewhere behind it all it would be. She knew very well.

Pushing several layers of clothes back, Lorelai finally managed to clear a way through her walk-in closet. _Narnia might as well be hiding in here!_ She thought glumly as her eyes finally landed on the object she had been looking for. Offensively it glared back at her, even though it was still hidden in a bag.

"Oh, stop gloating."

Without being overly careful Lorelai laid out the dress on the bed and stared at it. The details were still immaculate. The blush colored silk tulle bodice, covered in beautiful beads, the blush skirt, the cream satin sash and the elegant train. It was lovely.

But if she was being honest with herself it just wasn't perfect anymore. It was a great dress. But not for her anymore. And also she wasn't exactly heading down the aisle to get married anytime soon. Been there, done that and it hadn't exactly been overly successful if she had to be honest.

Still, it was a great dress.

A sudden idea popped into her head. With some alterations, perhaps some sleeves, considering it was winter now, it could be a great dress for someone else.

Lorelai grabbed her cell phone out of her back pocket and quickly dialed.

"Hello?" Someone answered at the other end.

"Lulu, hi! Any chance of you coming over? I have a great idea for your dress!"

* * *

The dinner with the Gilmores + one Luke Danes had become more or less a regular occurrence. Whilst it had been more or less a permanent fixture in Lorelai's life for the past 8 years, Luke still pulled uncomfortably at his tie a few times during dinner.

The conversation had come to a lull, but never one for a quiet moment, Emily turned her interrogating gaze on Lorelai.

"Do you remember Regina Carlise from the DAR?"

"Uhm, should I?"

"Well, her daughter, Carly,"

"Really? Carly Carlisle? Great name."

"Lorelai, please. Carly is getting married for the third time, and her mother asked me to ask you if you have any openings at the inn sometime in the next few weeks?"

"Weeks? Sorry, but we're booked pretty solid until next year," pausing she looked over at Luke and with a teasing smile she nodded her head towards him. "You can ask Luke, though. The diner is hosting its first wedding in a week. Quite a colourful affair."

Emily whipped her head around so fast that her perfectly bobbed hair almost couldn't keep up.

Technically what Lorelai had just told her parents (and Luke) wasn't entirely the truth but also it wasn't completely untrue. In the time since Kirk had started begging Luke to be allowed to have the wedding at the diner, Luke had taken to throwing him out fewer times. Instead he was ignoring him. And that usually meant that he was slowly giving in.

Besides, Lorelai might have promised Lulu to help speed the process up a little. And the idea was kind of cute. They had had their first date at the diner, and now Kirk and Lulu wanted to give the place an even more special place in their life. Lorelai liked it.

Yet she wasn't entirely sure she could picture herself getting married at Sniffy's…

 _And she was so not going there!_

Thankfully Emily chose that moment to voice her disapproval of anyone wanting to have a wedding in a diner.

"A wedding? At the diner? That's obscene!" It had been a long time since Lorelai had last heard Emily so outraged about anything. Maybe a bit of Emily Gilmore could help persuade Luke to let a bit of town madness through the diner doors.

But just as Lorelai began to mentally applaud her own genius idea, Emily continued her disapproving rant. For a second Lorelai was impressed with her mother's ranting skills - they could almost rival Luke's - but then she heard the words that were coming out of her mother's mouth.

"Is it some kind of sick joke, Lorelai? I thought you were over this"

"Huh?"

"Springing it on us like this? A week before? My god!" Emily continued, her temper rising with every word that passed her lips. In order to emphasize her displeasure with the situation her arms gestured wildly. Lorelai - as well as the two men at the table - looked on in complete astonishment.

In a desperate attempt to stop her mother from drawing the wrong conclusions (which she clearly already had), Lorelai tried a hasty: "Mom".

But it had no effect. What. So. Ever.

"One minute you're engaged, then that ends, then you get engaged again, then you elope - with another man! - and now you announce you're getting married in a diner. "

And finally Lorelai understood what kind of craziness had possessed her mother. Well, that suddenly explained a lot of things. And now it was time to end the madness for good.

"Mom!" Lorelai almost shouted now, but even that didn't seem to phase dear Emily Gilmore.

"Of all things!" her mother continued furiously. "If you're trying to kill us, you're doing a fine job". The disappointment shone from Emily's eyes as her gaze shifted from her daughter to Luke, who looked completely baffled. Richard said nothing.

Having had enough at last, Lorelai stood up, the chair shooting back behind her as it scraped the precious floor.

"Mom, shut up, please!" She was full on yelling now. All this talk of marriage, weddings, wedding dresses, wedding cakes, wedding invitations, wedding venues and brides and grooms was driving her mad.

"It's Kirk and Lulu who's getting married at the diner, not Luke and I. Like I told you before, we're not engaged." She supplied, full of anger. Emily looked perplexed, but Lorelai could have sworn she detected a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. Having had enough of it all, she turned to Luke.

"I think it's time we went home. Bye."

* * *

Lorelai spent the next few days devoting every minute she wasn't at the Inn to working on altering the dress to fit Lulu. The first time she saw Lulu in what should once have been her own wedding dress had stung a bit, but she steeled her resolve and worked hard at changing it.

Lulu had been a little hesitant in accepting the dress from Lorelai, but at Lorelai's continued insistence she had finally accepted. Their sudden rush to get married and their limited budget had left her with little choice.

And, to be honest, Lorelai was pretty pleased with her handiwork now that she looked at on Lulu's petite frame. It was no longer strapless. Instead Lorelai had created a lace overlay that suited Lulu perfectly.

"You look lovely," she commented, a smile on her lips.

"Thank you", Lulu replied shyly as she regarded herself in the mirror. "You've done an amazing job. Thank you so much!"

"My pleasure!" The joy that radiated off of Lulu was contagious. She was indeed a blushing bride and a very cute one at that. Her and Kirk oddly enough fit each other perfectly.

"Hey Lorelai?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think you and Luke will get married soon?"

And there it was. The big fat and bright pink elephant in the room that no one had directly addressed before.

Marriage. It had been something so important to her when her and Luke had been engaged. Momentous and elephant-sized, but then that had ended and she ran to Christopher. She still winced at the thought and wondered if that would ever stop.

But with Chris she had tried the whole marriage thing, and now that she really thought about it… Well, maybe marriage wasn't that great. _But what if it's to the right person?_ Echoed somewhere a the back of her mind.

Maybe then. But maybe not. It had been so much strain on her and Luke's relationship last time. Would it be different this time around?

The thing was. They were so happy now. Did the really need a piece of paper to cement their commitment to one another? Lorelai suddenly wasn't so sure.

* * *

After a long day at the inn, Lorelai was excited at the prospect of coming home to her homey home and hopefully there would be a steaming hot cup of coffee waiting for her.

She almost stumbled up the few stairs to the porch and began digging around in her purse for her keys. Finally her fingers were able to clasp around the damned things and she proceeded to fumble with the locks. If it hadn't been for Luke she would just have left the door open when she left in the morning. But he was so distrustful of people.

Any ill thought she might have been in the process of thinking up disappeared entirely when the smell of a delicious meal hit her the second she stepped inside.

Calling out "Honey, I'm home!" she threw her coat and purse down and almost ran into the kitchen. Luke turned to greet her with a brief kiss before he returned his attention to whatever he was stirring together on the pan.

"Coffee's on" he supplied as she looked surveyed the kitchen curiously.

"You're amazing!" Although Luke scoffed at her comment, she knew he was secretly pleased with the comment.

Moving over to the table she sat down and began to cautiously sip the hot drink in front of her. This was her little version of heaven. Attentively she studied Luke as he moved expertly around the kitchen, grabbing things left and right to work his magic. Man, he had a fine ass.

Woops.

Bringing herself around again after getting lost in her own thoughts, Lorelai forced herself to spill the things she had been thinking over and over for days now, perhaps even weeks.

"We're happy right? Happier than ever before? Like _It's a Wonderful Life_ happy?"

Clearly taken aback, Luke spun around and regarded her curiously. She just smiled warmly to assure him that everything was fine. The tension in his shoulders disappeared.

"I'm happy. Are you happy?"

"Extremely happy! I could wake up every morning and break out in cheesy songs, if that's what you want"

At the mention of Lorelai serenading, Luke cringes. Perhaps the memory of her awesome rendition of _I will always love you_ still rattled around somewhere up there. "That won't be necessary. I believe you"

"Good."

"Yeah, good."

The conversation seemed to be over, at least according to Luke as he turned back to the stove to continue stirring. But Lorelai was not quite done…

"Luke."

She fumbled a bit with the coffee mug in her hand. It read _I'm a woman, he me roar… or purr_

"Yeah?" He turned back, even more curious than before.

She had been mulling this over all day, not sure how to say it properly. Could it even be said? Well, there was only one way to find out.

"I'm not sure I need us to get married." She did her best to speak them softly and in a cheerful voice, but her abilities failed her and it came out in half a whisper.

The words hit Luke, but he didn't react immediately. Instead it seemed to take a precious few seconds before the words actually, really sunk in.

"Uhm, okay". He muttered, half-heartedly. Was he hurt? Relieved? It was impossible to say.

She needed to explain, of course she did. Pulling herself together, Lorelai looked him in the eye, half-smiled and began.

"I don't care about that anymore. As cheesy as it sounds, you're _it_ for me. You know that, right? Because you are. And despite all the shit that's happened between us in the past, I'm all in, you know. Like _all the way_ in there. Dirty, I know. But I love you, Luke. Only you, always you. And no, I didn't eat too much sugar today before you ask."

Deep breath. She could do this. Had to. For her sake. For Luke's sake. For their sake.

"The thing is, I really, truly believe it will work this time around. For good, forever. All that. Because we work together, you know? And for the first time in my life I want something to be permanent. I'm not about to put on my Asics and bolt. We can have our middle, good and solid."

As she spoke the words she began to get more confident. It had to make sense to him to. Her previous obsession with weddings seemed to have dissipated in the past few weeks. The more people talked about weddings, the less she felt like going through that whole process. The idea of marriage - and marriage to Luke - was still great, but why shouldn't they be able to have that without going through the ceremony?

"But I don't think a piece of paper and a ring will change that. That won't make it more permanent. I'm here, you're here, and sure we'd both be here if we got married, but I really don't think we have to. Our track record isn't exactly the best when it comes to engagements and marriages. Right?"

And it was done. She breathed out and gazed at Luke.

Shrugging, all he said was, "I suppose".

And this was all she supposed too. They didn't have to make the final decision right then and there.

Suddenly Lorelai felt a desperate desire to be just a bit close to Luke, so she stood up from her chair and walked up to him. He gazed at her, half curious, half hesitant. To assure him, she grabbed his spatula-free hand and gave it a warm squeeze.

"I'm not saying _never_. I'm just saying, let's take the pressure off. Ignore the town, ignore Kirk and Lulu. And my parents! Let's just be us. Luke and Lorelai. Happily ever after."

Another squeeze.

And another.

And suddenly he was squeezing her hand back and smiling down at her. Reassuringly. Lovingly. In that way only Luke could smile at her - as if she was the greatest thing to have ever walked the Earth. As if.

"Okay", he said. Smiled some more and gave her hand another warm squeeze.

"Okay?" Lorelai could feel a strange sense of relief flooding through her. Happiness tingled at her fingertips, a smile played at her lips and she suddenly had an idea of what it might be like to be saying the infamous "I do" to the perfect person in front of all the people in the world.

"Yeah. I agree. This is it, nothing will change that." Luke's voice was warm and perfect. Their eyes met and she could have sworn the both sparkled just a little bit.

"But promise me one thing?" Luke added, suddenly looking a bit serious again.

"Anything!" she quipped, not wanting the moment to go away.

"If you ever change your mind, you tell me. No hiding it"

"Deal, Mister" She grinned, the 1000 watt Lorelai Gilmore smile only she was cable off. He returned it ten-fold.

"Great. How would you like some extra bacon on your cheeseburger?"

She almost squealed at the prospect. Instead she gave him a quick peck and nodded, grinning.

"Aw. You really are the perfect man."

Luke shook his head at her comment but smiled nonetheless. If this was what the rest of their lives would look like, they really would be okay.

It had taken a hell of a long time to get here. But here they were. And who knew, maybe some day, they would get married and have jam-hands running around the kitchen. But for now she was completely content. And happy.

So, so very happy. Just the way he liked to see her.

* * *

 _And there we are. THE END. Wow. Thanks for sticking with me and this story. It's been a blast :)_


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